Jacques Corrèze

Jacques Corrèze (February 11 1912, Auxerre—28 June 1991, Paris), a French businessman and politician, was the former chief executive officer of the United States operation of L'Oréal ("COSMAIR"), the world's leading company in cosmetics and beauty products. He was the adoptive son of Eugène Deloncle.

Corrèze was a member of La Cagoule, a violent fascist-leaning and anti-communist group. During its early period, Eugène Schueller, founder of L'Oreal, provided financially support and held meetings for La Cagoule at L'Oréal headquarters. During the Second World War both Jacques Correze and Eugene Schueller, as well as many other L'Oreal executives, were very active Nazi collaborators. After the war Corrèze was convicted of a number of crimes against France's Jews, and sentenced to ten years in prison in France. He was released after serving five years and shortly thereafter became a senior executive at L'Oréal, becoming Chairman of [Cosmair http://www.answers.com/topic/cosmair] , a private US company and the sole licensee of L'Oreal in the USA. Corrèze was in charge of negotiations with the Arab world to illegally comply with the Arab League bureau of Economic Boycott requests, after the Arab League began a boycott of L'Oréal when it was revealed that the group had acquired Helena Rubinstein, Incorporated, a company with a manufacturing plant in Israel. Jacques Correze was also under investigation by the U.S. DOJ Office of Special Investigations in 1991 ("New York Times", 20 Jun 1991:D:1:1) for his active participation in violent antisemitic acts and membership of the L.V.F (Legion des Volontaires Francais). Forced to leave the United States, he died a week later, at age 79.

ee also

* L'Oréal
* Eugène Schueller
* Liliane Bettencourt
* André Bettencourt
* La Cagoule

External links

* [http://www.loreal.com Official website of L'Oréal]
* [http://www.forbes.com/global/2000/1127/0324130a.html Forbes article on L'Oréal]
* [http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/2005/03/18/cz_sh_0318oreal_bill05.html Forbes article on Liliane Bettencourt]
* [http://www.js.emory.edu/BLUMENTHAL/Bar%20Zohar.html Book Review of Bitter Scent]

References

Michael Bar-Zohar, "Bitter Scent: The Case of L'Oréal, Nazis, and the Arab Boycott", Dutton Books, London, 1996, pp. 264.